Cathay Pacific attendants threaten to withhold smiles, booze

Flight attendants at Cathay Pacific Airways have delivered an unusual threat to the airline's management, saying they may refuse to smile or serve food and alcohol on the airline's flights around the busy Christmas travel period.

"In a nutshell it means passengers will still be able to reach their destinations except they are paying a five-star price to get a three-star service," union spokesman Tsang Kwok-fung tells AFP.

The attendants' union hasn't ruled out a more traditional strike, though such action would not come until after the new year, union officials say to The Wall Street Journal.

The dispute at Cathay Pacific – generally regarded as one of the world's top carriers for service – centers on a pay dispute, according to union officials.

The Associated Press says the attendants voted at a union meeting this week in favor of industrial action that could also result in flight delays.

"The union is demanding a 5% pay increase but the airline, which is struggling to cut costs after posting a first-half loss of 935 million Hong Kong dollars ($120.5 million), has offered 2% and a 13th month bonus," AP writes.

As for the threat to withhold booze, food and smiles, union spokesman Tsang tells CNN that attendants are considering a "safety-first limited service" job action in which the cabin crew performs only the duties that are essential to fliers' safety.

"The basic role of a flight attendant is to take care of safety measures on flights and to take passengers from one point to another point safely," Tsang tells CNN, going on to say the meal service is an additional service required by the airline.

"We will be selective in providing our services," Tsang adds to AFP. "This could include not smiling at passengers, not providing certain types of beverages -- such as alcohol -- or stop serving meals."

Tsang said the union has yet to decide the exact details and timing of any possible job action.

In the meantime, AP notes that Cathay Pacific took out ads in Thursday's Hong Kong newspapers saying that the next move is up to attendants. The airline says it has invited the union to further talks, and is awaiting a reply.

"We fully understand how important it is not to disrupt passengers at this busy time," the airline says in the ads.

Stay tuned …